Prejudice Against Religious and Sectarian Others among Educated Youth of Pakistan: The Impact of Religiosity, Intergroup Contact, Intergroup Threats and Intergroup Anxiety

Prejudice, radicalization, and violent extremism are significant challenges in societies of contemporary world. Previous research on prejudice reduction, primarily conducted in western, secular contexts, may not fully address the unique dynamics of it in Muslim-majority countries. This study investigates the dual challenge of religious and sectarian prejudice in Pakistan, focusing on the role of intergroup contact, perceived threats, individual’s religiosity, and intergroup anxiety. A cross-sectional survey of 1,013 university students in Pakistan was analyzed using hierarchical regression. The findings indicate that high-quality intergroup contact significantly reduces both religious and sectarian prejudice, while mere contact quantity can exacerbate prejudice if not facilitated by positive interactions. Perceived intergroup threats consistently increase prejudice, whereas higher levels of intergroup anxiety are also associated with increased prejudice against religious others. Individual’s religiosity, however, does not have a significant direct impact on either form of prejudice. These insights provide valuable guidance for developing strategies to improve intergroup relations and reduce prejudice, sectarianism and exclusionary attitudes in societies where religion serves as identity consolidation factor.